Capillary applicator



0. l. WARING CAPILLARY APPLICATOR Filed Oct. 22, 1946 July 17, 1951 INVENTOR. Olaf I. Waring 3 CQMMQ Z) H ATTORNEYS Patented July 17, 1951 UNITED STATES CAPILLARY APPLICATOR Olaf I. Waring, Flushing, N. Y.; Anna Waring executrix of said Olaf I. Waring, deceased Application October 22, 1946, Serial No. 704,804

Claims.

My invention relates to capillary applicators, more particularly it relates to those that are attached to a closure cap for bottles or like containers. Such capillary applicators are especially suited for applying corrosive liquids, such as iodine, or potassium permanganate solutions, to body surfaces or the like, because a rubber bulb, as is employed in the usual dropper type of dispenser, is readily attacked by such liquids and hence unsuitable.

It is customary to employ a solid glass rod for the application of such corrosive liquids. The solid glass rod is affixed to the inside of the bottle closure and extends downwardly into the bottle contents. When removed, a certain amount of the liquid adheres to the surface of the rod and may be applied to the desired area by bringing the rod in contact therewith. Such an applicator is subject to the drawback that-it will pick up only a small and varying amount of liquid, depending upon the level of the liquid in the bottle. If the bottle is shaken to wet the entire surface of the rod, one will generally lose several drops of the liquid, while transferring it to the point of application. This may result in stains or other inconveniences.

It has been proposed to overcome the foregoing drawbacks of the solid glass rod by employing in a like manner a glass rod having a round capillary passage extending centrally therethrough and vented at the top by a channel in the closure device to which it is affixed. Such a capillary applicator rod is disclosed in the U. S. Patent No. 1,985,703 to Wheaton. While this device overcomes some of the disadvantages inherent in the solid glass rod, it is itself subject to certain drawbacks. In the first place the manufacture of a glass rod having a round capillary passage extending centrally therethrough, as

illustrated in the patent, is difficult and expen-' sive. A further, serious drawback of this device is its limited capacity. While it is far superior to the solid glass rod in this respect, it still leaves much to be desired, since the amount of liquid that can be held in a round capillary passage by capillary action is definitely limited. Still another drawback, shared by the solid glass rod, is that the dispensing point is limited to a very narrow area, so that it is inconvenient to use these rods, if one wishes to spread the solution over a relatively wide area.

It is the purpose of my invention to overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior devices and to provide a very simple, cheap and effective applicator that will withdraw a relativesolution over a relatively wide area by asingle portion extends far enough from the opening to whichthe liquid will be drawn by the capillary a closure to which one form of applicator acis shown in section, in order to expose the ap- PATENT 0i.

2 ly large, uniform amount of solution and veniently apply it to a relatively Wide area. is accomplished by including at the lower e of the applicator one or more wide capillary passages or channels of slot-like cross section that are suitably vented at points sufliciently above their'lower openings to insure fully effective capillary action. The provision of a wide capillary passage or channel, preferably one having a transverse section whose length is at least four times its width, insures a far greater Capacity than is possessed by a round capillary passage, and provides at the same time a much wider dispensing point permitting the spreading of the stroke of the applicator.

In its preferred form the effective portion of my novel applicator is very simply and cheaply produced by flattening out one end of an ordinary glass tube having a diameter of, for example, 4 inch. The tube is flattened to a point where the thickness of the opening is small enough to insure fully effective capillary action, and the flattened allow full use of such capillary action. A vent must be provided somewhere above the level to action, in order for the latter to be effective. While the flattening of one end of a readily available, inexpensive glass tube represents the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is obvious that the same principle of employing a suitably vented, wide capillary channel of slot-like cross section may be realized in other ways.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated several forms that my invention maytake. In these drawings:

Fig. 1 shows a conventional glass bottle with cording to my invention is attached. The bottle plicator.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the same form of applicator taken at a right angle and showing the restricted thickness of the wide capillary chaimelat the lower end.

Figs. 3 and 4 are a sectional and side View respectively of two other forms of applicators embodying my invention. These various forms will now be described in detail.

Referring particularly to the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2, I have shown a conventional glass bottle l having the usual screw cap 2 to which there is afiixed inthecustomary manner a solid glass-rod 3. To the lower end of this glass rod there is attached a'glass tube 4 whose lower portion has been flattened to form a wide capillary passage or channel of slot-like cross section. It should be noted that the rod 3 which extends into the tube 4 is somewhat smaller than the opening within the tube and is afiixed thereto at one side 6 by welding or cementing the two together, thus leaving a vent 1 to the interior of the bottle. The flattened lower portion 5 of the tube is seen fromanother angle in Fig. 2 which the bottom.

(g m) apparent that, when the cap 2 is uned and the applicator withdrawn from the it will pick up and hold a relatively large of the liquid in the bottle in its lower t portion 5. This liquid can then be 11 to the area to which it is to be apyill be drawn out upon said area by lction, as the capillary opening 8 is i'ontact therewith. A relatively wide covered with the liquid in a single inging the full width of the capillary contact therewith. The Width of the channel will naturally be limited by er diameter of the opening in the top of g bottle. To obtain the full benefits of my nvention, the capillary channel and its opening 8 should be at least four times as long in cross section as they are narrow, the latter dimension being sufficiently restricted to insure effective capillary action.

The particular location of the vent 1 and the level of the liquid in the bottle are more or less immaterial, provided only that the capillary opening 8 at the bottom extends below the liquid level, because as the applicator is withdrawn from the bottle the vent I will open to the atmosphere before the opening 8. The length of the capillary channel in the lower portion 5 need only be sufficient to take full advantage of the capillary action.

In the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2 I have made use of the readily available combination of a cap closure having a solid glass rod attached thereto. This has been modified in a simple manner involving little expense to form an applicator according to my invention by afiixing thereto as shown a novel element including a wide, vented capillary channel of slot-like cross section. The same principle may be employed in other forms, as shown for example in Figs. 3 and 4.

In Fig. 3 I show an applicator in which the tubular portion 4 extends all the way up and is attached to the cap 2, thus eliminating the solid glass rod. The lower portion 5 is again flattened out to form a wide capillary channel with an opening 8. It is necessary in this form to provide a vent in the passage formed by the tube and channel at a point above that to which the liquid will be held in the channel by capillary action. This may be done simply by forming an opening in the side of the tubular portion 4, as is shown in the drawing at 9. The applicator shown in Fig. 3 is slightly bent, so that the capillary opening 8 will reach to the bottom of the bottle near a side thereof, when the cap is closed, thus insuring that practically the entire contents of the bottle can be withdrawn by means of the applicator.

In Fig. 4 is shown another form of applicator employing a plurality of wide capillary channels of slot-like cross section, thus greatly increasing its capacity. This form difiers widely in appearance from the forms previously debetter shows the narrow capillary opening 8 at scribed, but it makes use of the same principle. In this case the applicator is not afiixed to a bottle closure. It is provided with a handle l8 and is suitable for use regardless of whether the liquid is in a bottle or in any other type of container. The lower portion of this applicator is provided with several wide capillary channels eX- tending from the capillary openings 8 through which the liquid is to be withdrawn to the vents 9 in communication therewith. Preferably this form is made of a molded plastic that will not be corroded by the liquid to be applied.

It will be apparent that many other suitable forms of applicator may be constructed including one or more wide, vented capillary channels of slot-like cross section. Preferably these wide capillary channels will be substantially vertical, as the applicator is withdrawn from the liquid that it is to convey. However, this is not essential, because the novel principle involved in my invention is the use of one or more wide capillary channels of slot-like cross section having openings through which the liquid is to be withdrawn, said openings and channels being at least four times as wide as they are narrow, each of said channels being provided with vents, so that the full effect of their capillary action may be realized. Such wide capillary channels may be withdrawn from the liquid in a horizontal position and still hold a relatively large amount of liquid by capillary action. The withdrawal of the liquid from the wide capillary channels upon the desired area depends upon the forces of surface attraction overcoming such capillary action. It should, therefore, be understood that my invention is not limited to the particular forms illustrated and described hereinabove, but includes all such obvious modifications as are embraced within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An applicator for liquid, said applicator comprising a first portion intended to be grasped by hand and a second portion intended to be brought in contact with the liquid for picking up a relatively large amount thereof by capillary action, the latter portion including a transversely broadened capillary channel terminating in an opening from which the liquid is to be withdrawn, said opening and channel having a slot-like transverse cross section with a length at least four times as large as its width, and a vent communicating with the channel and located to insure the full capillary action of the channel upon contact of said second portion with the liquid.

2. An applicator as defined by claim 1, in which the first portion includes a closure device for a container, and in which the second portion extends for penetration into such container when said closure is operatively combined therewith.

3. An applicator for liquid, said applicator comprising a bottle closure to which is attached a liquid transfer portion for insertion in the bottle and for extending nearly to the bottom of the bottle when said closure is in place, said portion including a transversely broadened capillary channel having a lower opening, said opening and channel having a slot-like transverse cross section with a length at least four times as large as its width, said channel being provided with a vent communicating with its upper end for realizing the full capillary action of the channel.

4. A capillary applicator as defined by claim .3 in which the liquid transfer portion is composed of a solid glass rod affixed to the closure at one end and within an opening in a glass tube at the other end, the lower end of said glass tube being flattened to form the capillary channel andthe rod-receiving opening being wider than the rod to provide the vent.

1-5. A capillary applicator comprising a bottle closure to which is attached for insertion in the bottle a glass tube extending nearly to the bottom offthe bottle when said closure is in place,.the lower portion of said glass tube being flattened sufficiently to form a transversely broadened capillary channel of slot-like cross section whose bottom opening and cross section are at least four times as long as they are wide and the upper portion of said glass tube being provided 15 with a channel-venting opening in its side.

I OLAF I. WARING.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,954,068 Carpenter Apr. 10, 1934 1,985,703 Wheaten Dec. 25, 1934 2,005,091 Kuenstler June 18, 1935 2,034,416 Peat Mar. 1'7, 1936 2,231,197 Scioscia Feb. 11, 1941 

